Metro Station: Interview

Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ, United States - November 10, 2007

by Kristin Biskup

Metro Station's tunes are in a genre on their own. Band members Trace Cyrus, Mason Musso, Anthony Improgo, and Blake Healy twist rock, pop, electronic, and dance into their unique sound. Even though being a relatively new to the music scene, the band has been getting a lot of recognition on the networking site myspace. The band is excited to experience everything that is ahead of them. I had the opportunity to ask them a few questions while they were on tour with Motion City Soundtrack.

How was Metro Station formed?

Cyrus: My family knew the Musso family before I did. My sister was friends with his brother and they kept saying that we should get together and make music together. One day we finally met and a couple days later I went to his house and we recorded our first song titled "The Love That Left You to Die." We made some more songs after that such as "Disco." We had a few songs up on myspace and I found Blake on myspace. He played synthesizer in another group and we started talking. We got together to make a song for the hell of it and made "Seventeen Forever." It just turned into something and people liked it so we decided to keep going with it. He left his other band and we started Metro Station. A few months later we were on the search for a drummer and we were lucky enough to get Anthony. We are all relatively new to the LA within a couple of years and that is basically how Metro Station formed.

Is there anything specific behind the band name?

Musso: We are all relatively new to LA and never met before making the band. Metro Station is kind of like the point of origin where all the trains meet. I know it is cheesy but I thought the name was cool. At the same time I thought it made sense because we happened to meet by chance. We got lucky.

How was the recording experience in Brooklyn?

Cyrus: the recording experience in Brooklyn was amazing. Especially for us because we recorded all of the demos in Blake's apartment and we didn't really have that much experience out of his apartment. Being able to record in that studio and with Motion City Soundtrack was an amazing experience. We learned so much from our producers.

How did members of Motion City Soundtrack come about producing some songs on the record?

Musso: The woman who signed us, Maureen Kinney, she knew Motion City and the band heard our song "Kelsey" and wanted to produce some songs for us. They actually produced "Kelsey" and "Come Around" which was on our demo EP.

Cyrus: I guess they like the music and wanted to work with us and we were already huge fans of Motion City so it worked out perfectly for us. It couldn't have gotten any better.

What do you want your friends to get out from listening to the record?

Musso: We want them to dance. I want them to dance. If you are hearing me right now, I am Mason Musso and when you listen to our record feel free to fucking dance.

The band received a lot of recognition on the internet before you even played a show. In that case, how was playing your first show?

Cyrus: Our first show was pretty insane. I think it was for seven people. It was at a church and we opened up for a Christian band. Oddly enough the seven people already knew the words to our songs. It was weird. We didn't even have a drummer at the time. It was me and Masson on guitar and Blake on synthesizer and computer. Myspace helped us a lot and after that we played larger shows.

Improgo: Actually they just wanted to have an Asian guy in the band.

Cyrus: Yeah and it worked out. (Laughs)

This is one of your first tours as a band. How is touring different than normal day life?

Musso: You are on the road constantly and thrown out of your element everyday. You are somewhere new that you have never been before and you don't know what to expect. There are a lot of things you got to handle like making sure you get to the venue on time. It is a lot but it never gets boring.

Improgo: There is a different crisis everyday and it made us learn how deal with things. It teaches us to be calm and not stress out.

To Trace Cyrus: Do you get any pressure to become famous and successful due to being related to Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus?

Cyrus: I wouldn't say I get pressure from it. I think whatever happens, happens. We are all doing totally different things and I don't think that there is much comparison between what we are doing. Most people I meet don't know that I am related to them. The record label didn't know.

Musso: That's the thing. I know Trace loves and supports his sister and his dad just like how I support my brother with his acting. We are making our own course and doing what all the other bands do. That is why I think Trace doesn't have any pressure because he is doing his own thing.

Improgo: Yeah and your dad didn't even know you were in a band until months after.

What is your biggest fear of stardom?

Cyrus: I guess I am scared of being killed or something. It is also kind of scary to think of being seen as a pop icon or celebrity. That can be scary because obviously life will never be the same. Already life won't be the same for us. It's awesome and it is what we wanted but there is not turning back now so there is no reason to not go all out.

If there was a Metro Station Survivor, who would get voted off first and who would win?

Cyrus: Anthony can survive anything.

Improgo: My uncle owns an island. My uncle has a little army of ten people. It is like lost. It is a half a mile and he bought it a long time ago. In world war two it is where the Japanese left treasure so there is always a lot of Swiss and European ships that excavate and search for the gold that was left there.

Cyrus: His job was to shoot down the people who came onto the island. (Laughs)

Improgo: Actually I went down there last year and finally visited my uncle and it was cool. It was like Hawaii without any people. It was our own island.

What has been your best tour story?

Musso: Back to Anthony being strong. He punched a window and broke it. It was a hotel window and it just shattered. That is how strong he is. There was no real reason. He just has anger issues.

Improgo: Let's just say that rather than punching someone and getting sued for it, I took my aggression out somewhere else. (Laughs)